Product Description

One year ago, Sarah Palin burst onto the national political stage like a comet. Yet even now, few Americans know who this remarkable woman really is.

On September 3, 2008 Alaska Governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention that electrified the nation and instantly made her one of the most recognizable women in the world.

As chief executive of America's largest state, she had built a record as a reformer who cast aside politics-as-usual and pushed through changes other politicians only talked about: Energy independence. Ethics reform. And the biggest private sector infrastructure project in U.S. history. And while revitalizing public school funding and ensuring the state met its responsibilities to seniors and Alaska Native populations, Palin also beat the political "good ol' boys club" at their own game and brought Big Oil to heel.

Like her GOP running mate, John McCain, Palin wasn't a packaged and over-produced candidate. She was a Main Street American woman: a working mom, wife of a blue collar union man, and mother of five children, the eldest of whom was serving his country in a yearlong deployment in Iraq and the youngest, an infant with special needs. Palin's hometown story touched a populist nerve, rallying hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to the GOP ticket.

But as the campaign unfolded, Palin became a lightning rod for both praise and criticism. Supporters called her "refreshing" and "honest," a kitchen-table public servant they felt would fight for their interests. Opponents derided her as a wide-eyed Pollyanna unprepared for national leadership. But none of them knew the real Sarah Palin.

In this eagerly anticipated memoir, Palin paints an intimate portrait of growing up in the wilds of Alaska; meeting her lifelong love; her decision to enter politics; the importance of faith and family; and the unique joys and trials of life as a high-profile working mother. She also opens up for the first time about the 2008 presidential race, providing a rare, mom's-eye view of high-stakes national politics—from patriots dedicated to "Country First" to slick politicos bent on winning at any cost.

Going Rogue traces one ordinary citizen's extraordinary journey and imparts Palin's vision of a way forward for America and her unfailing hope in the greatest nation on earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77 in Books
• Published on: 2009-12-01
• Released on: 2009-11-24
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 7
• Binding: Audio CD

About the Author

Sarah Palin grew up in Alaska towns, from Skagway to Wasilla to Anchorage, while her dad taught science and coached high school sports. She and her future husband, Todd Palin, graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, and she went on to earn her college degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Idaho. Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council, then two terms as the city's mayor and manager, and was elected by her peers as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. She then chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Palin was elected Alaska's youngest, and first female, governor, serving from 2006 to 2009. While serving her state she was tapped as Senator John McCain's running mate in 2008, becoming the first female Republican vice presidential candidate in our nation's history.

The Palins reside in Wasilla with their five children, including a son in the U.S. Army, and one grandson. They enjoy an extended family throughout Alaska and the Lower 48.

Customer Reviews

Ain't afraid of no Vietcong king
There are many kinds of truth. There are truths based on facts, truths based on faith, and truths based on something that sounds as if it should be true (truthiness). Then there's the kind of truth we find in Sarah's book: stories and concepts that become truths simply because she states them. She's a lot like our Lord and Savior, Glen Beck, in that respect.

Sometimes, she states truths that would be considered ludicrous if uttered by someone else. Her claim that the McCain campaign forced her to spend $150,000 in RNC funds to dress her family in designer clothes is one example of that. Although it might be easier to believe that she acted like a trailer park Zsa Zsa who'd found a credit card left behind at a possum feed, she blames McCain staffers. That's good enough for us, because we have faith; we want to believe her truths.

But the book isn't perfect. As much as I enjoyed the few short paragraphs in which Mrs Palin laid out her policy objectives, she could have condensed it all into one sentence: "I'm going to grab an Oxo Good Grips Stainless Serving Spatula and go all mavericky on your non-white, non-Christian and non-heterosexual butts."

The book also fails to expose Mrs. Palin's intellectual brilliance and keen grasp of foreign policy issues. Why wasn't the text of her recent speech in Hong Kong included? Although it remains secret, it's rumored that she viciously rebuked the Vietcong king for his assault on the Empire State Building. That's a speech we've been waiting for nearly 75 years to hear. It's big news and should have been included.

As you read other reviews of this book, please remember that Mrs. Palin has many enemies who are eager to pan her work. The Palin family's most potent nemesis, Levi's johnston, is no dpubt fully erect and ready to spew globs of misfortune upon them for a third time. And reason-adoring intellectuals are certain to point out that an interview on Good Morning Topeka doesn't qualify as a policy summit in the Far East.

But a few bad reviews won't stop her. She's seen much worse from her kitchen window. It can't be pleasant to gaze upon Antichristograd every morning as you brew your coffee.

My review isn't complete, but I think I'll quit anyway, because writing reviews, like governing, is just too darned hard to finish.

The woman the MSM loves to hate
It doesn't surprise me that one iota that all the powers of the media have been summoned to rip this book apart, or downplay Mrs. Palin's accomplishments, or make a mockery of her supporters. They have reason to...she is the REAL DEAL. For those conservatives who have been pining away for the second coming of Ronald Reagan, you may find who you are looking for in a proud wife, mother, and grandmother from Alaska.

This autobiography is well written - after all, she has a degree in journalism, and put herself through school. Anyone I've ever known who has put themselves through college makes sure that they get the maximum return on dollars spent. She has kept that writing skill sharp by keeping journals. She is a natural writer, and this is probably why the release date was pushed up. Being the daughter of a teacher also helps develop key communication skills early in life. The intellectual snobs will probably deride her straightforward writing style, but anyone who writes knows that there is beauty and brilliance in a clear, uncomplicated message. The book reads more like the interview that many of us wish she had given in 2008, or had been allowed to give in 2008. Everything that I had guessed about her - her values, her inspirations, and her support network - was substantiated.

I had to laugh when she wrote about her reading experiences as a young girl...which included National Geographic, and anything by C.S. Lewis. No offense MSM, but reading NGM shows that a person is intellectually curious about the world and open to the rich cultural heritage of the human story, and C.S. Lewis is all about philosophy and theology (right/wrong, loyalty, and respect too.) I liked her father's solution to dealing with television, although had my father known hers, our television would have been in an unheated room too!

Former Gov. Palin shines a light on the political machine at work in Alaska; many of us know the same story could be repeated in all of the other 49 states. The behind the scenes look at a presidential campaign was exceeding fun to read about...especially if you enjoy political theater! The stories of her family were most moving... from the beauty, joy, and message of Trig's birth...to balancing the needs of her family, job, and campaign...and will hit home for any mother, whether she works or works as a full-time mom. Her fiscally conservative political stance will strike a cord with multitudes of American's, especially for those advocating for a smaller reduced federal government.

This is an excellent read for anyone who has been searching for the silver lining in the 2008 presidential campaign, and highly recommended. For those people on the fence about Sarah Palin, read her book. It may change your mind.

She should be road kill by now and yet she lives on
Having just finished the book this evening I am amazed how many reviewers have already read the book and posted such witty reviews. I suppose this is why the book is number 1 on every book list. Everyone could not wait to get the book, read it and shred it for all to read. Sarah Palin is not a member of the Ivy League intelligentsia, but if we honestly assess the progress to date of Congress and the current President, who are mostly elitists (far more intelligent that the common rabble found in America), we would have to conclude that we have a freakin' mess on our hands with no end in sight. I might be far more inclined to listen to someone who has common sense, which is clearly absent from most of Congress and the White House. I have grown weary of Washington elites living lives of privilege, taking for granted the very people they were elected to represent and thinking the best they can do for us is to put us all on the government dole or even worse steal our future, our dreams and our capacity to achieve independently from government intrusion.

This book is interesting for what it says about Palin and her journey. Read this book and you will gain some perspective of her as a person, but probably will not have any more insight into the feeding frenzy that kicked up around her VP run, unlike anything in our recent history. You may ask why she was vilified by media personalities in every form of media, was it a case of group think gone completely non-linear? As you read, ask yourself, "could I have endured this level of vitriol and hatred." and you will, no doubt, have to begrudgingly admire this woman for her courage, even if you can't stand her politics. I am sure feminists will read this book by the tens of tens to show their support for a comrade in the fight. Clearly this individual is a galvanizing force for both the left and the right.